Water skiing aid



June 2 187 H. c. BAKER WATER SKIING AID Filed Oct. 15, 1965 IN VENT ORHENRY C. BAKER ATTORNEY 3,326,175- Patented June 20, 1967 3,326,175WATER SKIING AID Henry C. Baker, R0. Box 102, Bradley, Maine 04411 FiledOct. 15, 1965, Ser- No. 496,599 16 Qiaims. (Cl. 114235) This inventionrelates to water skiing apparatus and more particularly to a supportmeans adapted to be secured to a towing vessel and to be used by a waterskier in assuming and leaving the planing position more easily andsafely than heretofore possible.

Among other aquatic sports, water skiing is enjoying an increasingpopularity with many individuals learning or attempting to learn towater ski. Especially for a novice, the most difficult portions of theaverage ski run are at the beginning and the end. At the start of theski run the water skis are submerged, occasionally resting at least attheir aft end upon the bottom of the body of water. For the skier topass from this static pickup position to the planing position, the skiergrasps the tow rope at its handle and the vessel proceeds underway,pulling the skier. A high rate of speed is necessary to lift the skierout of water into the planing position. During the period that thetowing craft passes from rest to the necessary high speed, most upsetsoccur because the skier is subjected to forces from the skis, water andtowing vessel when faced with the difficult problem of achieving andmaintaining balance on the skis. For the inexperienced skier, subjectionto these forces is an unfamiliar experience and to be buffeted about atever-increasing speeds in a position of precarious equilibrium oftenresults in confusion, panic, loss of balance and control over the skis,and upset.

Even if the novice successfully negotiates the pickup and planing stagesof the ski run, he still must successfully perform the landingoperation. inexperienced skiers often misjudge the speed of the towingcraft when they release the tow rope and head for shore. The landingprocedure should be executed at low speeds for safety purposes. This hasnot been possible in the past with conventional equipment.

With the foregoing in view, a main object of this invention is toprovide an auxiliary support means which is attachable to a towingvessel and which provides support for and aids the water skier duringthe pickup and landing stages of a ski run.

The foregoing and other objects are accomplished by thi invention, whichcan be briefly described as an apparatus for assisting a water skier inassuming and leaving a planing position aft of a tow boat, whichcomprises elongated support means for supporting and assisting the skierin assuming and leaving the planing position and having fore and aftends, connective means attached to the support means at the fore endthereof for securing the support means to the tow boat, and bracketmeans attachable to the tow boat in the stern thereof for maintainingthe support means at a predetermined minimum height above the waterlevel. As a further feature of the invention, handle bar means which maybe adjustable are optionally provided at the aft end'of the support armto facilitate grasping by the skier.

These and other features, objects and advantages of the invention willappear more fully from the following detailed description which, whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, disclosesseveral embodiments of the invention for purposes of illustration onlyand not for definition of the limits of the invention. For the purposeof determining the scope of the invention, reference may be had to theappended claims.

In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similarelements through the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a water skiing aid constructed inaccordance with the principles of the invention and shown in placeaboard a towing vessel.

FIGURE 2 is a partially exploded view, in perspective, of anotherembodiment of a water skiing aid constructed in accordance with theprinciples of the invention and also shown in place aboard a towingvessel.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, in FIG- URE 1, the novelski-aid support is shown in position aboard a towing vessel, indicatedgenerally at 10. The vessel may be of any type, inboard or outboardmotor, suitable for towing water skiers. Such craft may be provided witha winch or Windlass 12 attached to a seat 14 or rail 16 of the boat. Inthe drawing, Windlass 12 is shown secured to seat 14. One end of a towrope 18 is attached to the Windlass 12. A handle 20 is provided tofacilitate seizure of the tow rope 18 shown partially reeled out inFIGURE 1. The tow rope extends from the windlass 12 and passes under arope roller 19 to extend aft of the boat. In FIGURE 1, the tow rope isshown passing through the entire length of a support arm 22, which is oftubular configuration. However, the tow rope may pass as shown by thephantom line in FIGURE 1 from the Windlass 12 and externally of thesupport arm 22 to and through an eye, or the like, as indicated at 21which may be secured to the aft end of the support arm 22. This latterconstruction would be required in an embodiment wherein the support armtakes the form of a solid rod.

It will be observed that a pulley or other rope guiding means can beused in lieu of the rope roller shown at 1!).

The support arm 22 is attached at its forward end to seat 14 or otherconvenient mounting means located in the towing vessel 10' between thebow and stern thereof preferably but not necessarily by means of ajointed connection indicated generally at 24. In the embodiment of theinvention illustrated in FIGURE 1, the connection is jointed andconsists of a hinge. Leaf 25 of the hinge is attached to the support arm22 and leaf 26 is secured to the mounting means, in this case seat 14.The leaves are joined by the conventional pin 27. It will be noted thatthis type of connection permits movement of the support arm 22 in avertical plane so that it can be pivoted about pin 27 to extend forwardin the boat for compact storage or other purposes. This constructionfurther permits rapid removal of the support arm by extracting pin 27.

The support arm 22 is supported intermediate its ends by bracket means,indicated generally at 28, secured to the tow boat at or near thetransom thereof. In FIGURE 1 the bracket means 28 is shown secured tothe transom 30 of the vessel 10. The bracket means acts as a fulcrum forthe support arm 22 when the latter bears force exerted upon it by thewater skier. In the embodiment shown in FIG- URE 1, bracket means 28takes the form of a rod 29 with yoke means 34 in the upper end thereofto receive the support arm 22. The rod 29 may be directly attached totransom 30 of the tow boat or may be constructed to be verticallyadjustable as shown, received in fixture 31 which is secured to transom30. Setscrews 35 permit adjustment of the rod 29 to the desired height.The rod 29 may then be secured in the desired position by tightening thesetscrews 35. Handlebars 32 may be provided to facilitate seizure of thesupport arm 22 by the skier.

In operation, the tow rope 18 is disposed at the aft end of the supportarm 22, the skier grasps the support arm 22, preferably at handle bars32, and the tow boat proceeds under way. By exerting pressure downwardlyon support arm 22, the skier can support part or all of his weight onthe boat, thereby performing at low speeds, part or all of the task oflifting the skier into planing position, formerly performed solely byhigh towing speeds creating a lifting force on the skis. By means of thesupport device of the present invention, the skier can achieve theplaning position and perfect his balance at lower speeds than heretoforepossible. Once this condition is attained, the skier can grasp the towrope handle and release support arm 22. The tow craft is accelerated tonormal towing speed and the tow rope is reeled out to the normal skiingposition. At the end of the ski run, the skier is wound in by winch 12at normal speed to grasp support arm 22, the boat slows and the skier,supported through the deceleration of the towing vessel, is prepared forlanding at a safe low s eed.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in PR}- URE 2, connectivemeans 38 by which support arm 22 is attached to the towing vessel It) isa ball-and-socket joint. Ball segment 40 is aflixed to the support arm22 and socket member 42 is secured to the seat 14, although it isreadily apparent that the position of these two elements could bereversed. The advantage provided by the ball and socket type ofconstruction resides in the fact that the support arm is free to move inhorizontal, vertical or angular planes. The particular advantage withrespect to freedom of movement in a horizontal direction is that suchpermits the support arm 22 to move to follow the skier as he passes fromport to starboard aft of the tow boat. Freedom of movement in thevertical plane permits pivoting of the support arm about socket 42 forcompact storage. Angular freedom facilitates manipulation of the supportarm 22 as well as permits the arm to more freely track the skier in hismovements during the planing stage of the ski run.

When the connective means takes the form of a balland-socket joint, asin FIGURE 2, a supporting bracket means 43 may comprise spaced,vertically extending members 44, secured to the transom 30 of the towboat, and a bearing bar 46 extending athwartship between the members 44.The bearing bar 46 acts as a fulcrum for the support arm 22. A pluralityof vertically spaced apertures 48 is provided in each member 44 topermit adjustment of the elevation of bar 46 and thereby the elevationof the support arm 22. Yoke means 47 are provided for preventing supportbar 22 from sliding horizontally along bar 46, to provide a firm supportto the skier during the initial and final stages of a ski run. The yokemeans 47 should be disengaged during the planing portion of the ski runto permit the support arm 22 to freely track the skier in his movements.Apertures 49 are provided in bar 46 to receive the forks of yoke 47.

An alternative construction of support handle-bars 51 contemplated bythis invention is also illustrated in FIG- URE 2. In this embodiment, avertical member 50 is attached to the aft end of the support arm 22. Themember 50 will ordinarily extend upwardly but can be extended downwardlyin a situation wherein the towing vessel is equipped with a hightransom. Handlebars 51 extend through sleeve 52 which is attached tosleeve 54 on member 50. A setscrew 53 is provided in sleeve 52 forangular, pivotal adjustment of the handlebars 51 about the longitudinalaxis of sleeve 52. Setscrews 55 in sleeve 54 permit adjustment of theentire handlebar assembly in a vertical direction along member 50 bysliding sleeve 54 along member 50.

If desired, a rubber or plastic guide for the tow rope may be disposedat the aft end of the tubular body 22. Such a device is shown inposition at 58 in FIGURE 2 and is desirable in that it serves to preventabrasion of the tow rope by the edges of the support arm 22.

The support arm 22 which forms a basic element of the invention may beof unitary construction as shown in FIG- URE l or it may be constructedof a plurality of telescoping tubes as shown in FIGURE 2 at 60 and 61.In the latter event, clamping means such as setscrews 62 must beprovided to secure the tubes in the desired position. The length of thesupport arm 22 can be varied to fit the requirements of the particulartowing equipment with which it is to be used. However, a sufficientlength must extend aft of the tow boat to keep the skier away from theimmediate vicinity of the screw and wash. As an example, a support armabout feet in length with about two-thirds thereof extending aft of thefulcrum at the transom has been found adequate for use with smalloutboard runabouts.

It is understood that modifications in structure of the specificembodiments described may be resorted to without departing from theinvention claimed.

What I claim is:

1. Water ski towing apparatus, comprising a tow boat having a transom,

a Windlass carried by the tow boat,

rigid, elongated support members for supporting and assisting a skier inassuming and leaving a planing position,

the elongated support means having a fore end portion secured to the towboat at a location which is intermediate the bow and stern of the towboat and a substantial distance forward of the stern,

the elongated support means extending axially relative to the tow boatto an aft end portion located aft of the stern of the tow boat,

the elongated support means having a portion intermediate its fore andaft end portions which is disposed above the transom of the tow boat,

connective means associated with the fore end portion of the elongatedsupport means, and securing the elongated support means to the tow boat,bracket means secured to the tow boat at the stern thereof andprojecting above the transom of the tow boat in supporting engagementwith the elongated support means at the intermediate portion thereof formaintaining the elongated support means at a predetermined height abovewater level while supporting and assisting the skier, a tow rope havingone end attached to the Windlass, means for guiding the tow rope fromthe Windlass to the aft end portion of the elongated support means, and

handlebar means associated with the aft end portion of the elongatedsupport means and providing the sole rigid supporting contact for theskier.

2. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the bracketmeans comprises a vertically extending rod member, yoke means associatedwith the upper end of the rod member and projecting vertically above thetransom for receiving and supporting the elongated support means, afixture secured to the transom of the tow boat and axially receiving aportion of the rod member below the yoke means, and means for securingthe rod member in the fixture.

3. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the meansfor securing the rod member in the fixture comprises adjustable meansfor securing the rod member at a selected position axially along the rodmember to adjust the predetermined height of the elongated support meansabove the water level.

4. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein theconnective means comprises a hinge having one leaf fixedly secured tothe elongated support means, another leaf fixedly secured to the towboat and a hinge pin transversely disposed relative to the elongatedsupport means and interconnecting the leaves.

5. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein theelongated support means is vertically swingable about the hinge pin toextend from the connective means forward on the tow boat.

6. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein thehandlebar means comprises a vertically extending member associated withthe aft end portion of the elongated support means, a horizontallyextending sleeve associated with the vertically extending member, ahorizontal member extending axially through the sleeve and having endportions curved to extend aft of the vertical member, adjustable meansfor securing the horizontal sleeve at a selected position axially alongthe vertical member, and adjustable means for securing the horizontalmember against rotation in the sleeve at a selected angular position.

7. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein theelongated support means comprises an elongated tubular member, and

the means for guiding the tow rope from the Windlass to the aft endportion of the elongated support means includes the open cross sectionof the tubular member.

8. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 7, and furthercomprising,

tow rope bearing means associated with the aft end portion of theelongated tubular member for preventing abrasion of the tow rope on theaft end portion of the elongated tubular member.

9. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the bracketmeans comprises two horizontally spaced vertical members secured to andprojecting vertically above the transom of the tow boat, and a bearingbar extending athwartship between the spaced vertical members, supportedby the spaced members at a location above the transom of the tow boatand in supporting engagement with the elongated support means, theelongated support means being slidable athwartship along the bearing barbetween the spaced vertical members, and wherein the connective meanscomprises a ball-and-socket connection.

10. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein theelongated support means is vertically swingable about theball-and-socket connection to extend from the connective means forwardon the tow boat.

11. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein thebracket means further comprises means defining a plurality of verticallyspaced openings in each of the spaced vertical members for receiving thebearing bar at a selected height to adjust the predetermined height ofthe elongated support means above the water level.

12. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein thebracket means further comprises removable means for temporarilypreventing sliding movement of the elongated support means athwartshipalong the bear ing bar.

13. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein thehandlebar means comprises a vertically extending member associated withthe aft end portion of the elongated support means, a horizontallyextending sleeve associated with the vertically extending member, ahorizontal member extending axially through the sleeve and having endportions curved to extend aft of the vertical member, adjustable meansfor securing the horizontal sleeve at a selected position axially alongthe vertical member, and adjustable means for securing the horizontalmember against rotation in the sleeve at a selected angular position.

14. Water ski towing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein theelongated supporting means comprises a plurality of tubes disposed intelescoping relationship, and means for securing the tubes in a selectedposition against telescoping movement.

15. Water ski towing apparatus for assisting a water skier in assumingand leaving a planing position, comprising the combination of a tow boathaving a transom,

a Windlass attachable to the tow boat,

a tow rope having one end attachable to the Windlass,

elongated tubular support means for supporting and assisting the skierin assuming and leaving the planing position, the tubular support meansbeing annularly disposable about the tow rope intermediate the endsthereof in its passage to the Windlass, and having fore and aft ends,

hinge means attached to the support means at the fore end thereof forjointedly securing the support means to the tow boat at a locationintermediate the bow and stern thereof, vertically adjustable bracketmeans attachable to the transom of the tow boat for supporting thesupport means at a location intermediate the fore and aft ends thereof,and for maintaining the tubular support means at a predetermined minimumheight above the water level while supporting and assisting the skier,

handlebar means attached to the aft end of the elongated support meansand extending horizontally therefrom, and providing the sole rigidsupporting contact for the skier, and

means for vertically and angularly adjusting the handlebar means.

16. Water ski towing apparatus for assisting a water skie-r in assumingand leaving a planing position, comprising the combination of a tow boathaving a transom,

a Windlass attachable to the tow boat,

a tow rope having one end attachable to the Windlass,

elongated tubular support means for supporting and assisting the skierin assuming and leaving the planing position, the tubular support meansbeing annularly disposable about the tow rope intermediate the endsthereof in its passage to the Windlass, having fore and aft ends, andcomprising at least two telescoping tubes,

hinge means attached to the support means at the fore end thereof forjointedly securing the support means to the tow boat at a locationintermediate the bow and stern thereof,

vertically adjustable bracket means attachable to the transom of the towboat for supporting the support means at a location intermediate thefore and aft ends thereof, and for maintaining the tubular support meansat a predetermined minimum height above the water level while supportingand assisting the skier, and

handlebar means attached to the aft end of the elongated support meansand extending horizontally therefrom, and providing the sole rigidsupporting contact for the skier.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,816,310 12/1957 Nale 114-235 X2,821,726 2/1958 Correll 11443.5 X 2,883,684 4/1959 Correll 1l4-43.5

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner.

1. WATER SKI TOWING APPARATUS, COMPRISING A TOW BOAT HAVING A TRANSOM, AWINDLESS CARRIED BY THE TOW BOAT, RIGID, ELONGATED SUPPORT MEMBERS FORSUPPORTING AND ASSISTING A SKIER IN ASSUMING AND LEAVING A PLANINGPOSITION, THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS HAVING A FORE END PORTION SECUREDTO THE TOW BOAT AT A LOCATION WHICH IS INTERMEDIATE THE BOW AND STERN OFTHE TOW BOAT AND A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FORWARD OF THE STERN, THEELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS EXTENDING AXIALLY RELATIVE TO THE TOW BOAT TO ANAFT END PORTION LOCATED AFT OF THE STERN OF THE TOW BOAT, THE ELONGATEDSUPPORT MEANS HAVING A PORTION INTERMEDIATE ITS FORE AND AFT ENDPORTIONS WHICH IS DISPOSED ABOVE THE TRANSOM OF THE TOW BOAT, CONNECTIVEMEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FORE END PORTION OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORTMEANS, AND SECURING THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS TO THE TOW BOAT, BRACKETMEANS SECURED TO THE TOW BOAT AT THE STERN THEREOF AND PROJECTING ABOVETHE TRANSOM OF THE TOW BOAT IN SUPPORTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ELONGATEDSUPPORT MEANS AT THE INTERMEDIATE PORTION THEREOF FOR MAINTAINING THEELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS AT A PREDETERMINED HEIGHT ABOVE WATER LEVELWHILE SUPPORTING AND ASSISTING THE SKIER, A TOW ROPE HAVING ONE ENDATTACHED TO THE WINDLASS, MEANS FOR GUIDING THE TOW ROPE FROM THEWINDLASS TO THE AFT END PORTION OF THE ELONGATED SUPPORT MEANS, ANDHANDLEBAR MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFT END PORTION OF THE ELONGATEDSUPPORT MEANS AND PROVIDING THE SOLE RIGID SUPPORTING CONTACT FOR THESKIER.